HB687: Campaign telephone calls; disclosure requirements.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §§ 24.2-959 and 24.2-959.1 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 24.2-959. Requirements for campaign telephone calls sponsored by a candidate or candidate campaign committee.
It shall be unlawful for any candidate or candidate campaign
committee to make campaign telephone calls without disclosing, before
the conclusion at the beginning of each telephone
call, information to identify the candidate or candidate campaign committee who
has authorized and is paying for the calls unless such call is terminated prematurely by means beyond the maker's control.
The person making the telephone call shall disclose the name of the candidate.
It shall also be unlawful (i) for any candidate or candidate campaign committee who contracts for campaign telephone calls to fail to provide to the persons making the telephone calls the identifying information required by this section or (ii) for any person to provide a false or fictitious name or address when providing the identifying information required.
§ 24.2-959.1. Requirements for campaign telephone calls sponsored by a political committee or person other than a candidate or candidate campaign committee.
It shall be unlawful for any person or political committee to
make campaign telephone calls without disclosing, before the
conclusion at the beginning of each telephone
call, information to identify the person or political committee who has
authorized and is paying for the calls unless such call
is terminated prematurely by means beyond the maker's control.
The person making the telephone call shall disclose the following identifying information: the name of the political committee if the calls are authorized by that committee or an agent of that committee; and in the case of a committee that has filed a statement of organization under Chapter 9.3 (§ 24.2-945 et seq.), the full name of the committee and a registration number provided by the State Board; or in any other case, the full name and residence address of the individual responsible for the campaign telephone calls.
It shall also be unlawful (i) for any person who contracts for campaign telephone calls to fail to provide to the persons making the telephone calls the identifying information required by this section or (ii) for any person to provide a false or fictitious name or address when providing the identifying information required.